I must be a bit stund. Is setting up the side movement on a set of richmond shims (post gear change) not just a matter of measuring the total thickness of chev shims ,using that total thickness in richmond shims,then adding while subtracting side to side to set backlash, and using the stepped shims to center smaller ones. None of the richmond literature explained it but it seems to jump out at me as being sense,BUT even with 5-10 thou less shims in do you think I can get that thing in?uh uh, no way. Unfortunately a pontiac 8.2 diff kind of forces me to do it in place. But never the less,the total thickness of chev shims repeated in richmond shims should go in .BTW bearings the same ones

Did you change carriers or just gears? If you changed carriers then you will have to determine the new total shim stack for that particular carrier. Are the bearings all the way on the carrier stubs? Sometimes the stub is proud of the inner race and if you just press it on flush its not seated on the carrier fully.

X2 on making sure the carrier brgs are pressed all the way on.Did you keep track of the what side the shims came from?

Make your new shim packs EXACT thickness as your old ones.

Put the carrier in the housing with races on the brgs but without any shims.

Install the shim pack on the left side.

While holding the carrier in place and making sure the brg races are straight,try and get the right side shim pack started between the race and the housing. NICELY try and tap{dont beat} the right side shim pack in place. If the pack will not tap all the way in and the brg races are straight,STOP,and see if there's any backlash. if you have no backlash post your thickness of each side of your shim packs.

The key is to keep the races straight and the shim pack will be easier to get started. If you lost track on what side your original shims came from,put the thicker shim pack on the right side to get a starting point.

Did you change carriers or just gears? If you changed carriers then you will have to determine the new total shim stack for that particular carrier. Are the bearings all the way on the carrier stubs? Sometimes the stub is proud of the inner race and if you just press it on flush its not seated on the carrier fully.

The interference for bearing preload is about .008", total.

just bearings but on a 8.2 diff when you go from 2.xx to 3.xx ratios you gotta put about a .2 ring under ring gear. How dow you preload a bearing that just sets in? guestimation?

I dont miss my mopar in so much as the parts were murder expensive IF you could get em, but GOD do I some miss that 8 3/4

Well got her set up BUT I cannot use the stepped shim on right to hold things. It's way to thick. So what I'm stuck with is shims that arent under cap
I dont trust them out there like that. Can a fella grind a slot under the cap to acommodate a tab that sticks out to act as a keeper for these shims or is there another way?Its a bommer cause I'm spot on .008 lash with nice bit of bearing loading. I'd so love not to take em out. Thoughts please

the preload question...after you have figured out the backlash and have the shims for each side determined, add .004" to each side to preload the bearing when it is installed. Using a case spreader makes tapping them in unnecessary but since one is probably not available, use a hammer and a piece of aluminum, wood, or my choice, a nylon rod, to tap the shims in. If you are using the same carrier, use the same total shim stack if you believe it was correct to start with.

Shim retention is not usually an issue. You could make something to put under one or both of the cap bolt heads.

and the shims held by nothing are fine? I would let a bit of preload go I think before letting shims clang in and out against axle

Are you sure you have enough preload on the carrier brg's? If you take the main cap's off,will the carrier drop out? The carrier should be pretty snug in the housing. If you can move the shims around with the carrier installed you don't have enough preload.

Call me nervous nelly ,I think I'll be putting something into the side of that cap like a set screw or whatever to make sure they cant wiggle out

Ok,Nervous nelly Think of it this way. That diff, in that configuration has lasted 30 something years and there's ton's of them out there. You just might do more bad than good by putting screw's in the main caps.

Are you sure you have enough preload on the carrier brg's? If you take the main cap's off,will the carrier drop out? The carrier should be pretty snug in the housing. If you can move the shims around with the carrier installed you don't have enough preload.

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